The Bot and the Beast
by La Leyenda
Summary: In this random oneshot, Proto Man becomes a whale hunter in hopes of finding and challenging the greatest whale of them all.


Copyright Notice: I do not own Proto Man or any of the concepts from the _Mega Man_ series that are used in this fic. All characters and concepts that are presented here are owned by Capcom and Keiji Inafune.

I also do not own the OC used in this story. That character belongs to GoldenAwesome. You can find him, and a picture of the OC, on deviantart.

A/N: This lengthy oneshot was written per request, as well as for sheer entertainment, and is therefore not meant to be taken extremely seriously (in other words, don't expect a masterpiece). It is also something I usually don't write. Thus, expect randomness to ensue.

Nevertheless, thanks for checking this out! Enjoy!

**The Bot and the Beast**

**Sea World**

Was it possible for a robot to dream?

Was it even possible for a robot to sleep, and if so, what went on in that little mechanical mind while the rest of the body was turned off?

...what kind of ridiculousness was he thinking? Of course robots don't sleep! They're put on standby as they recharge their energy! Any idiot would know that robots are programmed, and know no real emotion, no matter what realistic nonsense Steven Spielberg concocted!

But to feel as he felt, to desire as he desired...

_ How long do dreams really last?_

No matter; his alarm clock was automatically set.

Proto Man opened his eyes. His thick, dark visors blocked the blinding gold sunrise that reflected on the ocean waters. He stood on deck in a firm, tall posture with his arms behind his back. Even the rocking of the boat could not shake him. With the calm whooshing sound of the waves hitting against his creaking boat, and a cool salty breeze to blow his silky yellow scarf in the wind of hope, he was relaxed and composed. In that perfect state of excitement.

_ Only a matter of time_, he thought to himself as his grin widened.

This was truly where he wanted to be. He felt like a creature in the sea: alone, floating freely in a giant world where he wasn't tied to familial bonds, nor destiny. Well of course, everything was tied to one same destiny: end. Everyone eventually made it to that point; even this journey would ultimately come to a closure.

Proto Man himself, was running out of time, and he knew it. With each passing moment, his energy reactor depleted. He'd been created mechanically flawed, with a void in his heart that would eventually shut down his system. He'd once been fixed, but even then he was still incomplete and imbalanced at the core. What a curse this was, and so ironic that he'd been created such a beautiful powerful mess, like a bright inspiring rainbow that would fade in but a moment.

But still he smiled, because even with his time running short, he dared to dream big. Really big. And of course, that was the only way to do it, because the reality of a dream is that its size matters. What point is there of dreaming if one does not dream big, anyway? To dream small would only limit oneself.

And look where dreaming had taken him! Here he stood, in the middle of his dream world, venturing across this vast ocean of hope, towards the one thing that may yet complete his shortened life. He'd always had this hole that could seemingly never be filled, and wondered, was there not anything big enough to clog it?

What lied ahead in this ultimate liquid dream, was indeed the one thing that could fill this hole.

_ Mecha-Whale!_

"**They" (not that horrible Wes Craven movie)**

The rumors had been wrong! This wasn't an island at all!

...it was a peninsula. Or maybe just a giant chunk of land on a coast.

And these people weren't really pirates!

...actually they were, just not the kind with the eye patches, the scurvy accents, or the parrots on their shoulders. They didn't the stereotypical, dirty pirate appearance, for their natural looks alone intimidated thousands. The dark oily hair, the well-defined facial bones, the long wavy arms and fingers, and the eyes, oh dear lord the eyes, squinting so demonically that one stare could pierce the soul. They looked like the type of monster that all children are afraid of finding in their closets at night. Except it wasn't just one monster; it was more like two...billion. And nearly every single one of them were pirates by the order of law – any one of them could launch a harpoon at any second.

The moment he saw those gremlin-like faces, Proto Man knew it for sure: he had arrived in the city of Taro, along the coast of the ocean waters. Upon stepping onto the land, Proto Man could physically feel those demon eyes watching him, studying him. But even surrounded by those slithering eyes, he walked on without fear. He had bigger concerns.

Many hours of traveling later, Proto Man reached the city's heart and entered the grandest building of them all – a huge, multilevel skyscraper that one would not expect of pirates. Two of the lower crew members escorted Proto Man all the way up to a fancy, business-like office. The captain, Ayu, sat at his desk, waiting to meet with Proto Man regarding a dangerous sea assignment. Proto Man couldn't help but wonder how an old man in this physical condition was the leader of such violent water missions was beyond him – in addition to those skinny eyes, he was severely vertically challenged, stick thin with a long white silky beard and hair, and disgustingly wrinkly. This man was clearly in no shape to be doing arduous labor, as he may throw his back out at any moment.

"Ah. Welcome," he said to Proto Man as he entered. Each word Ayu spoke seemed to drag, much like that of Hugo Weaving, only foreign, more snake-like, and more annoying. "I am Ayu,"  
"You mean like 'ey you kids over there'?" Proto Man joked. Silence indicated the lack of humor. "Um, sorry, sir."

"Do sit," Ayu offered, but Proto Man refused. This was all about business. Big business. "So, Mr..Proto-Man," Ayu slowly sank into his chair. "You come...for the Mecha-Whale."

He nodded. "I do. I've heard the stories. His abnormally large size, his highly advanced suit, his power. Oh I've heard it all. And you know the location of this brilliant beast. "

Ayu put his arms on the desk and clapped his hands together. "Yes. Indeed we do know...the whereabouts of this...threatening creature."

Not wanting to be disappointed, Proto Man asked, "But these are only stories, rumors if you want to call them that. Forgive me for asking, but has anyone even _seen _this guy?"

"Many of us...have seen it with our own eyes," Ayu's skinny eyes glaring back at him. Proto Man held back a laugh at the irony. "We travel the seas...many times during the year. And there is an island...where it has been spotted...doing flips in the water."

Proto Man laughed. "Doing flips. Sounds threatening."

"Yes. It is...very dangerous," Ayu assured him.

Proto Man continued his light laughter. "What have you got against him, anyway? For all you know, this guy could be as happy as an elephant with a trunk full of peanuts."

"Whales have long been known as creatures of chaos, the monsters...that cause the ocean storms that wipe out the harvest, the pigs...that eat all your fish when you make raw fish. That is why..." he whipped out a harpoon from under his desk and twirled it around like a baton, "we kill them. And this whale...is the greatest offender of them all."

Proto Man shrugged at their reasoning. "Right...But I guess what I don't understand is, if you guys are natural killers and all, why haven't you gone after him if you want him so much?"

"This whale, it is no...ordinary whale," he put the harpoon back under his desk. "It was created by...a mad wizard, and who knows what magic he used to create such a thing...and what sorcery he gave it! The whale...it is also attached to a mechanical suit with powers...that could instantly destroy us all. _And_ it is more than..._twice_ the size of a regular whale."

Proto Man chuckled.

"You laugh, but I assure you...it is more dangerous than any other sea monster I have ever known. And you think I should risk my people...to fight this monstrosity?"

He turned to Ayu in doubt, "You have over a million pirates at your disposal. You excel in sea wars. If one million of you can't take down a single giant whale, no matter how big it is," he put his right hand on the desk, placing himself face to face with Ayu, "then I'd say your society is a failure."

Ayu snorted. "It is...such an atrocious beast...as it has been told..."

"So you're afraid of oriental fairy-tales. Is that it?" Proto Man interrupted him.

Ayu petted his long beard. "What makes you think...that you can handle this almighty ogre?"

He replied quickly. "I'm Proto Man. What more is there to say?"

"We have researched you. We know that...you are a defect, and that you were created...incomplete," Ayu told him.

"What, did you stalk me from my day of creation or something?"

"We study. And we kill whales. That is what we do." Ayu explained. Proto Man sighed. "We know you could not last long in such...an exhausting battle."

"Oh sure. I could explode at any moment now. But couldn't we all, really? Life's kind of like that, y'know? Everything could just explode all over your face in an instant, like suddenly, BOOM!" he pointed his blast canon in Ayu's face. "You're dead."

Proto Man sat in the chair, crossing his arms and kicking his feet onto the desk.

"I've been born with these weapons in my hands, instruments of war essentially. Let's face it: I've been created to _destroy_. My entire existence has been based around the concept of battle and destruction. And that'swhat I have done most of my life, sometimes for reasons I can't remember. I'm sure you can sympathize, with your way of living, and killing, and all. But you see, the difference between us is that when I come across something that seems bigger and better than me, I don't run from it; I _seek _it."

He kicked his feet off the desk and stood back up again, his back facing Ayu. "And that's the real reason I wish to take this task. This mechanical whale looks to be my roughest foe yet! The idea of facing not just a robot but an absolute animal, it excites me. I could think of no greater challenge in my whole lifespan. It's something that for once puts these guns I've been born with to great use."

He turned back towards Ayu, standing in a confident posture. "I've spent my entire life annihilating bot after bot. I've been up against the best of the worst;you see, I'm_ very _experienced. I know how to handle machines like this. Even in my 'weak' state, I can defeat him. What's more, I am willing to do this free of charge, with the promise that I will bring back the heart of the beast. And that, gentlemen," he roughly whipped his yellow scarf over his shoulder, and placed his hand on his hip, "is a service you simply cannot pass up."

Ayu leaned back in his chair, sighing with satisfaction.

"So...the map, sir?"

Ayu paused, then returned a smile to Proto Man. "You are...mechanically lacking, not to mention foolish. But you are gutsy...and your powers may prove to be stronger than what your...flawed structure shows."

He opened the drawer to his desk, carefully taking out an old, yellow piece of paper. Gracefully holding it in two hands, he gave it to Proto Man.

"I expect...big things out of this," he said.  
Proto Man smiled, carefully taking the map. "Good. I like big."

**Land, hoe! ...oh wait.**

_Okay, no more flashbacks! Concentrate! _Proto Man forced himself to focus.

Once Ayu had given him the map, Proto Man wasted no time in obtaining a small boat. It only took him a couple of hours to prepare for the journey, and had set sail by the evening. He had been sailing all through the night. He'd studied the map, however briefly before departure, and determined that it was less than a day's sail away. Surely, this place could not be much farther...

At the corner of his eye, he caught sight of, on the horizon, a bursting water jet. Proto Man ran to the front of the boat, hoping to catch a glimpse of the shooting water once more. Moments passed, and he did not see the spray; instead, there was an even better feast for his sight before him. There it was, at the end of the horizon's golden sunrise: Donte Island. A small sight for now, but the spectacle would enlarge as he drew closer. Proto Man's eyes lit up from under his visor as more the island's gorgeous features became visible.  
His destination within reach, Proto Man pulled out the map Ayu had given to him and opened it. Looking at the little image of the island drawn on the map, Proto Man was almost disappointed at how little justice was done for the island on it – it had shown the island's whale shape, but it failed to capture the gorgeous mountains, or the erotic jungles, or the glowing beach at the shore. He threw the map aside and watched as the island came closer. It certainly was a sight to behold: painted by a wondrous aqua-green color, with the exception of the golden beach and the silver mountains, Proto Man was convinced that if there were such a thing as paradise, this had to have come close to what it would look like,

Another bursting water jet snapped Proto Man out of his daze of awe. This time, he could see the originating place of the water jet. Atop one fairly wide mountain, water shot out from the top like lava from a volcano, though only for a quick moment. Proto Man picked up the map from the deck. Looking at a diagram, the location of this watery volcano was located right where the breathing hole of a whale would be. Proto Man grinned, for he was sure that once he set foot on the island, that this would make his hunt for Mecha-Whale much easier.

It was almost time to dock.

"Keep blowing, my friend. Show me where you are, because soon," he said to himself, wrapping the yellow scarf tightly and grabbing his reflector shield, "you will be mine."

**The Blowhole and the Belly of the Whale (very complicated whale anatomy)**

"Who was the idiot that decided to put the entrance at the top of the mountain when the main place to go is within the mountain's base?" Proto Man complained to himself.

Once he had docked his small boat on the shore of Donte Island, Proto Man had wasted no time in his hunt. Getting to the volcano had been a quick, simple navigation for him After all, it was a bit hard to miss the giant, aqua-spitting peak on the coast. The difficulty lied in the actual scaling of the mountain – Proto Man had detected that the entrance to the volcanic mountain was at the top, an aggravating but minor inconvenience. After a few near-falls, Proto Man had arrived at an entrance to a cave...only to find a stairway, lit by torches, heading downward.

"If this is how it's going to be, this up and down motion's going to drive me nuts."

The stairs were exactly what he hoped they wouldn't be: twisting and turning, going up and going down. But eventually Proto Man had reached the end of the stairs – he'd gone up and down and around too many times to be able to tell which direction he'd gone.

The end of the stairs led to a small tunnel, which at the end stood two massive stone doors, with strange carvings on the front. Proto Man took a deep breath in and pushed these boulders with all his might. The doors sluggishly dragged open...

He was hoping that once the doors opened, there would be some sort of spotlight that would introduce Mecha-Whale in all his splendor, but all he saw beyond these doors...were walls, covered in seaweed; walls after walls after walls. It was nothing more than an enormous, wet labyrinth. He looked around cautiously, yet in amazement. The only lighting in the cave which the labyrinth stood was a small bit of glorious golden light dropping down from the top, where the hole of the volcano was. The golden light reflected off the multiple foot-deep puddles. It was an angelic piece of scenery, random as it had been in such a location.

Proto Man asked himself, "Why would there be-"

Crack! CRASH!

"WHALE!"

Something had fallen from the ceiling as dust filled the room! Upon hearing the crash, Proto Man instantly spun around, turning his right hand into his Proto Blaster and pointing it in the direction of the sound, defending himself with his reflector shield. Within the dust was a massive silhouette of a sea mammal.

"I've got you now..."

He waited for the dust to clear. Once gone, the beached whale was in full sight. Not intimidated, Proto Man lowered his blaster.

"Why, you look like nothing more than a friendly-"

He paused. From behind, a monstrous stomping approached. The moment he sensed the foe was close, he whipped around to attack, but could not get a shot off – a big bubble popped upon making contact with him, and the pressure had sent him over the whale to the other side of the tunnel.

He caught a glimpse of the red suit. "MECHA!"

A magnificent flash illuminated the tunnel. Even Proto Man's visors could not protect him from the brightness. He covered his eyes with his arm as he could hear a fusion occurring. Once the light disappeared, he opened his eyes to see the whale's true form.

Proto Man gave a hearty laugh. "All my life I've dreamed of whales, but this..."

He was speechless. That big robotic red suit, that big blaster as his hand, that sly smirk, that aura of absolute strength...it was like staring at his own reflection, only transformed into a great whale. Even the color of the whale's skin, such a dark vibrant blue, struck a chord within Proto Man, a chord of deep faith and familiarity.

This is what he'd come for. Proto Man smiled now having met his match. "So I've finally found you: MECHA-WHALE!"

**My Fins Challenge you to a Duel**

The two red beings seemed to spend several moments having a stare down, locking eyes and standing still, both having their blasters pointed at the other. Annoyed with inaction, Proto Man lowered his gun, though still staring intently at Mecha-Whale. Sensing his foe would not dishonorably attack him, Mecha-Whale followed suit and lowered his gun.

"You're really taking a chance by not shooting me and letting your guard down," Proto Man laughed. "How generous of you to let me live."

Having no other being, except the occasional bird, step foot on his island in quite some time, Mecha-Whale was made extremely curious by the intruder, and was therefore not quite ready to finish him off. For one thing...well of course Proto Man came up short in comparison! Almost anything would seem small when standing next to a humongous whale in a mecha-suit! Still, there was something in the way that Proto Man carried himself that made him seem bigger. And although color blind, Proto Man's red boots and gloves and yellow scarf all stood out to the whale as if he could see the vibrant colors.

"And another thing," Proto Man interrupted the whale's thoughts, "if you're trying to hide here, you might not want to be shooting water out of the mountain top – that's kind of a signal beam."

Mecha-Whale blinked, staring at Proto Man almost blankly.

"Oh so you _wanted _to be found? Don't you know there are whale hunters after-"

Proto Man realized something mid-sentence.

"Wait. Even though there's not actually dialogue here, I can understand what you're saying," Proto Man grew excited. "Maybe...I can speak Whale! Whaaaaaaaa-"

Mecha-Whale squirted a light stream of water onto Proto Man's visors, the surprise preventing Proto Man from completing the inane movie reference. Mecha-Whale shook his head in disapproval.

"Forgive me," he wiped the liquid off his face. "But, I think you know why I'm here."

He made a peace sign in pride. "Whale hunter for hire by the self-proclaimed best whale hunters in the world! Though if I had to be honest, I've been hunting for the likes of you all my life. And now, you're _all_ mine."

The whale snorted in disagreement. To think a guy likely not even half his size could take him down! What conceit! And yet, the somewhat arrogant attitude of the robot amused him greatly.

"'Course, I'm a man of honor. It wouldn't be fair to just so easily take all of you now. So I'll give you a chance to defend yourself."

Mecha-Whale grinned. There would be some fun in this encounter after all.

"So what will Wailord do? Fight? Use Hydro Pump?" Proto Man teased.

The whale actually did use the Hydro Pump technique, or at least something equivalent. Using his blaster canon, he fired a strong force of water, and Proto Man failed to block it with his shield. The force momentarily pinned him against the wall of the tunnel. Mecha-Whale snickered as Proto Man was slow to get up, drenched. Proto Man looked to retaliate with a water blast of his own.

And that was when he finally understood, obviously not so good at taking hints.

"A hide 'n' seek water gun fight in the labyrinth, huh?" Proto Man rubbed his chin. Mecha-Whale shot him a satisfied expression. "It'd certainly be the best I'll have ever had."

Mecha-Whale walked over to him, seeking confirmation.

"Alright then. A game of hide 'n' seek it is!"

The whale, loving a good game and having not played in several years, was about to jump up in excitement. Yet he held his ground, wanting to appear strong before of his opponent.

"Because I'm the challenger, I guess that makes me the seeker, although," he crossed his arms, "I _have _spent the morning seeking you, climbing mountains, going up and down in outrageous tunnels...and here we are. Since I found you, I feel it is only fair to switch positions here, yes? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The mecha suit made a sound as if it were shifting gears.

"Strong words, boy. Let's see if you can back them up!" Proto Man was pleased.

"Just know this before we start," he began charging his own Proto Blaster. "I'm unbeatable."

The sea mammal took the statement as a personal challenge.

"Now, go ahead and start counting."

Mecha-Whale shut his eyes tight, and began slowly counting to one-hundred as Proto Man ran off at sound's speed through the depths of the labyrinth.

**Mecha-Whale Used Water Gun**

It was as if he was in panic mode. Except he wasn't really panicking, just running around in circles because he really had no clue where he was going. He'd only hoped that he had run fast enough to put some distance between himself and Mecha-Whale, which would give him time to make some sort of strategy.

_If I were a big tub o' lard, how would I move?_

Dashing through the labyrinth, heading left and right, Proto Man kept his wits about him. It wasn't just a robot or some big predator that was hunting him down. He was being relentlessly pursued by just one, giant, mechanical suit-wearing whale that had a hose with water pressure over twice as powerful than that of a fire engine. Not to mention the whale's sheer size could squish Proto Man beneath the thick skin of his belly. Really, he was just a human-intelligent animal with fierce wild instincts and modern day technology from the magic of a wizard at his disposal...

Nothing to worry about at all.

He turned the corner when he saw a giant water ball coming down the path. The first shot of the match! Proto Man leaped out of the way just in time as the ball continued on and hit the wall.

"How did he get all the way over..." Proto Man asked himself as he hid behind the wall.

The stomping he'd heard earlier crept closer again. No time to ask questions! He could hear the mecha suit, armed with blaster and whale, stomping its way closer to him.

But Proto Man was not fearless. He turned the corner, and faced Mecha-Whale head on. Seeing his enemy approach, Mecha-Whale shot another ball of water. Proto Man evaded it in an elegant fashion, jumping into the air and twirling about it gracefully. The whale shot another one soon after, and Proto Man dodged by diving towards the ground and breaking his fall with a somersault. When completing the stunt, Proto Man charged his blaster for the first watery Proto Strike – a wave of water emerged. Mecha-Whale took a direct hit and lost his balance, being swept away by the tide and sent floating back. The back of his head collided with the wall. The labyrinth wall now had a hole from where the whale had hit.

Proto Man wasted no time in going for a second strike. He lunged himself at the whale again,. Mecha-Whale recovered and evaded, using his mecha legs to spring himself high in the air, closer to the ceilings, where nearly all of Proto Man's attacks were out of range. Mecha-Whale aimed like a sniper, and shot a bursting stream of water. The hit landed, and Proto Man fell to the ground. Mecha-Whale had sent so much water that it caused a mini flood in straightway, and Proto Man floated down it as if being carried by a river's flow.

"Wet and wild, but this is just the beginning," Proto Man giggled to himself as the flooding died down. Before Mecha-Whale could crash down from his leap, Proto Man ran off, once again beginning the chase. This chase, find, and fight would rinse, lather, repeat several times, with Proto Man and Mecha-Whale exchanging blows: Proto Man would do an acrobatic stunt by jumping off the wall or something to that degree, while Mecha-Whale would overcome hits with absolute brute force; Proto Man would block with his shield, while Mecha-Whale would dodge effectively. Simple as it seems, if this water gun hunt had been put in slow motion, surely it would have been one of the most fun gun fights to watch.

But it reached a point where Proto Man had not encountered Mecha-Whale in a little while, which worried him.

"I know he's not that far behind me, so where did he-"

Stones flew everywhere! Proto Man had once again made the mistake of asking questions in the middle of battle. With its strong mechanical leg, Mecha-Whale had Sparta-kicked the stone wall and, with a jolly and proud expression, came bursting through.

"...oh yeah?"

Clearly, Proto Man hadn't approached this whole 'running around' thing the right way.

The whale fired again. Proto Man realized that the narrow passages were no longer working to his advantage, even with his shield. Surrounded by walls, and about to take the brunt force of Mecha-Whale's attack, he was trapped. So of course, he did the only thing he could do.

He ran. Into the walls. _Through _the walls. Using his shield as a battering ram, he sprinted through several of the labyrinth barricades, avoiding Mecha-Whale's line of fire once again. Once on the other side of the labyrinth, Proto Man stopped running and relaxed a bit. He had just made quite the clever, hard-headed escape.

A rumble echoed through the cave as a huge waterway came exploding through the walls. Proto Man sidestepped it just in time, but the labyrinth was not fairing so well – its usefulness had run out the moment Mecha-Whale decided to kick it between the legs. And with Proto Man's lunatic running and Mecha-Whale's kicks and water attacks, it's safe to say the labyrinth wasn't going to last much longer.

With the labyrinth crumbling around them, Mecha-Whale and Proto Man found themselves at a distant face off. Both of them had turned to their own rapid-fire attacks, sending multiple water shots in seconds. Eventually, Proto Man only relied on his reflector to send Mecha-Whale's attacks back at him, something that Mecha-Whale exploited. It provided a key opening: as Proto Man was distracted by the water balls, Mecha-Whale's other arm sprung out from the mecha suit, the hand grabbing the shield the shield. He easily pulled the reflector away from Proto Man's grasp. His hand returned to him, and he tossed the shield aside carelessly.

Proto Man stood in partial shock. Though Mecha-Whale had just taken away one of his greatest assets in battle, he noticed that the whale's mecha suit had begun to pour out steam from overuse. Proto Man knew the whale, and his suit, were getting tired.

"This fight's getting steamy now, isn't it?"

Mecha-Whale shrugged off the ridiculous pun and went on the attack. Proto Man returned fire. Miss! Miss! HIT! SLAM! Bang!

This went on for a few hours.

_._

There was water everywhere – dripping from the ceiling, sliding down the sides of the cave, drowning the floor, soaking the ashes of the fallen labyrinth, covering both fighters. There was constant dripping, like being surrounded by Chinese torture.

Exhaustion had Proto Man and Mecha-Whale down on one knee, on opposite sides of the battlefield. With all the whimsical jumping and running and fighting and gun shooting, both were at the climax of their energy levels. Fun as it had been, the water war could not keep up for much longer.

"You're as good as I thought you'd be," Proto Man complimented, struggling to rise to his feet. "But there is only one way to settle this now, the true way we gentlemen settle things."

Mecha-Whale looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Proto Man and grinning. He got back up on its robotic feet as the two nodded in agreement. In a single dash, they rushed to the center of the battlefield, their fists meeting at the center.

"Best out of eleven," Proto Man confirmed. And then their fists pounded the air.

Several rounds of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' later, Proto Man was a win away from taking the contest as the fateful last match begun.

"I see your strategy," Proto Man told Mecha-Whale right as it was time to reveal the weapon of choice. Proto Man had chosen paper, Mecha-Whale rock. "You _always _pick rock!"

Although the rules stated that paper covered rock, Mecha-Whale's face glowed as if he'd won.

"Why?" Proto Man questioned him, their hands still in the middle. "Why do you always pick rock? What makes you think rock will alway-"

And Proto Man was met with a rock punch in the face before he could finish his statement. He went flying across the battlefield, landing hard and sliding across the puddled ground. This was the knock-out punch; Proto Man would not recover from this devastating blow.

Suffice to say that rock always wins this contest.

The whale ran over to him, placing a foot on Proto Man's chest and pointing his blaster at his face. Weak, Proto Man made no attempt to resist.

"Y'know, whales are supposed to be nice and smart. You, you're nice, smart, and _nasty_," Proto Man laughed in defeat. "That was a dirty trick you just pulled, you dork."

Mecha-Whale snorted in laughter when a serious look instantly returned to his face. Now to decide what to do with the intruder...

"What's is gonna be, big guy?" Proto Man taunted him from below, "You've got me right where you want me. So go ahead: one final blow, spray me with everything you've got!"

The whale's muscles tightened, preparing to shoot. Here was his foe, drained of energy, pinned, and at his mercy; here was his prey, doused in water and mud from a long chase; here was his greatest playmate in quite some time, if not ever, laying helplessly below his feet, dressed in a passionate suit and blazing scarf that represented him perfectly.

Mecha-Whale pulled the gun away.

"Told you I was unbeatable."

**Humpback Mountain**

Mecha-Whale extended his arm and helped Proto Man to his feet. As Proto Man tried to brush some of the mud off his suit and wring out his scarf, Mecha-Whale retrieved Proto Man's shield and handed it back to him. Unsure of how to feel, Proto Man took it slowly, and put it on his back.

"So you're not going to blow my head off," Proto Man asked, "even though I hunted you down, beat you up, nearly drowned you in water, and destroyed your mountain."

One of the hanging stalactites fell and crashed into the ground. Mecha-Whale laughed at the timing, then shook his head. It was not in his sentient nature to just decapitate someone like that. But more importantly, to do that to the boastful yet considerate guy that had given him the most invigorating, most fun challenge in his life, it would be unjust. And perhaps if he let him go, he would one day come back for another great fight.

Mecha-Whale looked at directly at Proto Man, bowed his head, and then began to walk away, giving Proto Man the chance to leave the island.

The robot master would have none of that. Not when everything he ever wanted was right here, about to walk away.

"In that case then, consider me your prize of battle." The whale stopped upon hearing the proposal. "I didn't wait my entire life just to finally meet you and then end up leaving so quickly."

Mecha-Whale turned back around. What a silly robot, this guy was! To come barging onto Donte Island thinking that he owned everything on it, only to eventually reduce himself to being a slave to a mysterious whale! And yet Mecha-Whale sensed no deceit in his words, and found himself flattered by Proto Man's wish to stay.

Proto Man transformed his blaster back into his regular hand. He clenched his red fists of fury as his voice took a stern tone.

"Let me tell you something," Proto Man began. "Me, I'm kind of a lone ranger, always on my own. And I've always lived for fighting newer and tougher foes. But there's always been something that was missing, and not just 'cause I was born with this massive hole in my core. Even though I was independent of everyone around me, there's always been something about me that's empty.

"But your kind, you guys as beautiful bulky creatures of the sea that are able to just swim around freely, to jump around and have all the fun in the world, to feel alive all the time and not constantly worry about pushing yourself too hard lest you explode, I coveted all that. To be strong and able to swim about life as you please, without your past constantly coming back to you, that's what I've always wanted.

"And then there's you..."

Mecha-Whale had remained motionless and silent the whole time. He could only watch and listen as Proto Man put himself at a state of such vulnerability. The whale's sensitive nature allowed him to sympathize. And really, if he had to be honest with himself...

Proto Man and Mecha-Whale exchanged glances. They both agreed.

"That was the best fight I've ever had."

Proto Man offered Mecha-Whale a respectful, emotional handshake. Accepting it, Mecha-Whale reached out his hand, and Proto Man shook it chivalrously.

This was it. Here he was, on a gorgeous island with the only thing that could give him the proper challenge and care he needed. Shaking Mecha-Whale's hand convinced him; Proto Man had sailed right into his dream.

If only he could turn his alarm clock off...

_**.**_

"And that's when I finally came to terms with my identity as a robot!" Proto Man concluded as him and Mecha-Whale walked around the island.

They had decided to spend the early afternoon taking a walk around the island to allow Proto Man to dry off. Mecha-Whale happily led the way as Proto Man enjoyed the scenery and continued to talk away. Proto Man almost felt as if he was talking to himself half the time. Even so, he enjoyed the rather large company. Odd that he had found comfort and stability in someone so unique in shape and form. Yet he felt that that was a sentiment they shared.

"This place pretty, but it's so blue," Proto Man observed. "Does it ever make you sad?"

Mecha-Whale laughed at Proto Man's constant chatter. Did not the robot know whales were colorblind? Unable to see the color blue, Mecha-Whale could not create any emotional attachment to it. Still, the more Proto Man went on about such random things, the more Mecha-Whale could appreciate the company of the talkative robot. Not talking to anyone else for years had been hard!

"Well! I think I'm dry enough now. To the beach!" Proto Man demanded.

In spite of not having much energy left, the two raced to the beach. Reaching the shores, they splashed around playfully in the water's shallow ends, like two really big kids jumping in a puddle.

Mecha-Whale suddenly stopped. A deafening screeching sound was blowing out his ears.

Seeing the disgruntled expression on Mecha-Whale's face, and knowing that a whale's hearing was superb from underwater, Proto Man knew that something was amiss. "What is it?"

The whale looked out into the distance. Deep down, Proto Man already knew what was coming. Hundreds, no, thousands of ships, loaded with high-tech harpoon launching technology, nets, torpedoes, and canon balls, had gathered and were making their way to Donte Island. They were still a great distance away – not even within sight – but would most likely land within the next few hours.

They, the sliver-eyed pirates, were coming.

"**They" Have Come**

The air had turned colder. A few clouds gathered and periodically blocked the sun rays. This was all no coincidence. The arrival of the pirates had ruined the happy atmosphere.

Mecha-Whale and Proto Man spent a few minutes staring off, soaking the whole situation in. Though he'd not met these pirates once, Mecha-Whale instantly caught a bad vibe – anyone or anything that had a harpoon as the weapon of choice certainly meant business!

Proto Man was a bit annoyed. He had hoped that the pirates had given him the full responsibility of dealing with Mecha-Whale, which meant they would have stayed completely out of the situation. Instead, they come arriving at Donte Island's doorstep with thousands of pirates in arms.

"I should have known they wouldn't trust me," Proto Man mumbled to himself. "We need to get out of their sight."

Mecha-Whale gave him a puzzled look.

"Yes, they probably can see us from that far away. I don't know how, but those snakey-eyed sea killers have great vision, that or they just have sort of high tech telescope on board. Point is, if they see us, they may attack. I'm willing to bet they can still hit us out here, too, with that crazy harpoon technology they've got and all."

Proto Man left the waters and headed for the trees. Instead of making for the woods, Mecha-Whale dove into the water. Proto Man grabbed his head in frustration – this whale just didn't listen to him! Shortly, Mecha-Whale emerged from the water smiling with a large fish in his mouth, like a dog that had just brought back a fallen bird to its master.

"And what do you plan to do with that? Use it as a club and hit them with it?"

With the fish still in his mouth, Mecha-Whale ran into the forest, grabbed a long thick stick, and came back to the beach. He stabbed one end of the stick through the fish, and attached a white cloth taken from Proto Man's boat. He stuck it in the ground on the beach, giving it a flag-like appearance. Mecha-Whale was proud of his creation.

"...you're trying to bargain with them?" Proto Man face-palmed. "These are pirates we're talking about here! They want to invade your island, plumage the village, and steal your booty!"

Mecha-Whale ignored him.

"This isn't going to work..."

Despite having great fighting abilities, Mecha-Whale was a negotiator, looking to bring a fair peace between both sides. Though Proto Man lacked confidence in his ability to bargain, Mecha-Whale kept his optimistic view. Surely, these people wished to bring no harm. Surely, they would see that he had no intention of hurting them and only wished to make peaceful terms...

It was only moments after he planted the flag that a harpoon came flying onto the shores. What perfect aim they had, with the harpoon hitting the fish on the flag and chopping it in half. Mecha-Whale stared in wide-eyed horror as he saw the severed fish on the sand.

"I told you so."

Mecha-Whale sighed in disappointment, but was not ready to give up on coming to terms with the pirates. Proto Man growled at the whale's refusal to seek other options, grabbing him by the mecha suit and dragging him into the woods.

"Look, they're not going to want to make a deal. We need to decide on something else."

Mecha-Whale shook his head.

"Did the harpoon they sent through your fishy treaty not tell you anything? They don't want to be friends – they want to skewer you!"

Mecha-Whale continued to argue with him.

"I don't care what the right peaceful answer is! And neither do they! The fact of the matter is that they're going to show up on your shores in a few hours and turn you into sushi! We need to fight back! We need to go out there, face 'em head on, and kick some a-"

The whale slapped him upside the head.

"Would you stop interrupting me? That's all you've done all day!"

Proto Man turned away, folding his arms pretending to pout. Mecha-Whale just stood behind him and gave him a harsh look. Proto Man eventually broke the silence.

"Okay, let's say we try this whole 'negotiation nonsense' one more time. What are you going to do this time to try and sway them?"

Mecha-Whale stood straight up, with a sincere yet frightened look in his eyes. Proto Man whipped around upon hearing the idea.

"You want me to _what_? Are you insane? Look, I'm not a lawyer!"

Knowing that his idea was risky, Mecha-Whale slowly closed his eyes and released a depressing sigh in assurance. Still, he would not be able to live with himself if they didn't at least try.

Nearly every bit of Proto Man wanted to refuse, knowing that this horrible idea would not work – it was just as bad as walking into a trap – and that terrible consequences awaited both of them in wake of its failure. He was against this so much that he'd nearly sooner fight the whale for the power to choose. He wanted so badly to put his foot down and force them to explore other options.

But there was no convincing a sentient whale in a tank for a suit.

"Urrrgh, I wish I knew how to quit you!"

_**.**_

_I can't believe he talked me into this, I can't believe he talked me into this..._

He kept repeating this line in his head. Proto Man clutched his scarf in annoyance as the ship moved onward, with the white flag waving in the air as he passed several fleets of black, metal ships. Many crew members recognized him, and allowed him to pass. Their looks were not reassuring – those gremlin faces were not the negotiating type. He still could not believe he was sailing into a hopeless business meeting that could end in suicide. All for a stubborn whale.

Finally, Proto Man found the what he believed to be the mother ship, which contained the man he needed to talk to. With the help of the other crew members, Proto Man climbed onto the largest of metal ships. He stood on deck, with several other members, as he waited for Ayu to come out.

"Mr...Proto Man. I am surprised to see you...alive," Ayu came from below deck.

"It takes more than a few squirts of water to shut me down," Proto Man bragged. "So tell me, what brings you out to this neck of the woods?"

Ayu stepped forward. "We have come...for the whale."

"I thought that duty was supposed to be left to me. Did you think I'd fail?"

"Well...I suppose that seeing that you are alive, your return means that...you succeeded?"

Proto Man sighed. "Not exactly. You see, I'm kind of his prisoner right now. That's part of the reason I'm here, because he sent me."

Ayu snorted. "A prisoner...to a whale. How...unfortunate."

Proto Man ignored his comment. "Look, he doesn't want this all to end in violence. He'd like for things to be peaceful – you know, you keep living your way and he keeps living his – and he wants to know what you want in order to maintain the mutual peace."

Ayu laughed. "It wants...peace, you say?"

Proto Man shrugged. "The guy's a noble peacemaker. What can I say?"

Ayu paced the deck and shook his head. "I find that...hard to believe. This is...a monster we are dealing with. Monsters...never choose peace."

Proto Man rolled his eyes. "I don't see what the issue is here. He's lived here his entire life and has never laid a finger on any of your boats or people who come boating around here. You've ignored him; he's ignored you. Why can't you just keep it that way?"

Ayu turned his head, his eyes filled with discontent at Proto Man's proposition. His men waiting for his orders, the old man lifted his hand in the air and snapped his fingers. A canon ball was fired, and it collided with Proto Man's tiny ship, sinking it instantly. After hearing his boat plunder, Proto Man found himself surrounded by five pirate crew members, harpoons pointed at him.

"I knew you were up to something," Proto Man smiled, not bothering to arm himself with his blaster or shield.

"And I knew _you _were up to something," Ayu said without the dragging of his words.

"Why didn't you just talk normally the entire time?"

"Oh just to come across as a helpless old sagacious man, or maybe just to sound more intimidating," neither intention was applicable. "But there's no more need for silly games now. You have nowhere to go."

Proto Man laughed. "Okay, okay. Ya caught me. Now you wanna tell me what this is all about?"

Ayu snorted before releasing an evil laugh. "I meant all that I said about whales. They're the causes for natural disasters, the ones that steal all your things when you're not looking, the bullies that beat you up everyday at school just because you're smart! Yes! Whales! They're the reason for it all!"

Proto Man's jaw partially dropped. "Once again, Moby Dick, your reasoning baffles me."

"I am _not _a whale!" screamed Ayu, extremely insulted. He stood at Proto Man, face to face, staring at him with those devilish eyes and a sickening grin. "And you know what? Your insolence inspires me."

"...come again?"

"To call our whale-killing society a failure, why, that's just crazy. That truly is a blow to our pride. I just can't allow that. I just need to prove he who said such absurdity wrong." Ayu explained happily. "Never underestimate the craziness of a crazy person, or the crazy will show how crazy crazy can truly be."

Proto Man sunk his head in annoyance.

"So I suppose I should be thanking you. Who knows if we'd be here right now, defending our honor, if it weren't for you?"

Shadows covered Proto Man's face, giving the impression that he was angry at himself for saying such foolishness. But the shadows were actually hiding a smile.

"You needn't worry; your efforts won't go to waste. I know you needed to go to this island to have a little getaway fun, but that whale's probably a little tired out now. Ah, this certainly makes the capturing of the glory much easier."

Proto Man was counting to ten in his head...

"And you can be sure that our reputation will be unbreakable once the world knows we have destroyed this-"

"WHALE!"

There was a huge riffling in the water next to the boat, and then a splash. The pirates stood in shock as they saw an enormous blue whale in a red mechanical suit jumping over their monster of a ship. They were in too much shock to attack as the whale's huge shadow covered them, water dripping down from his wet body drenching everything below him. Expecting the arrival of Mecha-Whale, Proto Man raised his hand in the air. The extendable arm from the suit reached out and grabbed Proto Man's hand, carrying him in midair to the safety of the waters. The pirates ran to the edge of the deck to try and catch them, but the splash had indicated that they'd already made their escape.

Needless to say, _Free Willy_'s jump had nothing on this scene of magnificence.

"You idiots! You let them get away!" Ayu threw a fit. "Full speed ahead! Ready the harpoons and the canons! This starts NOW!"

As the pirates made their preparations, Mecha-Whale and Proto Man had swiftly swam back to the island. Relieved, Proto Man crawled back onto the beach, coughing up some water.

"You know, they really should invest in your mecha suit," he joked, spitting more water. "You can swim from here to there in about fifteen minutes; it's going to take their boats a couple of hours before they make it here. Talk about taking it slow."

Mecha-Whale took a superhero-like stance, proud of the power of his mecha suit. Proto Man laughed as he got back up.

"Well, I'm pretty sure they're not up for negotiating," Proto Man reconfirmed. Mecha-Whale finally agreed with him. "So how about we try my way now? I'll give you a hint: it doesn't involve running away."

As much as Mecha-Whale did not entirely agree with it, he saw no other way. Besides, surely he could have some fun in playing a live action version of Battleships.

Proto Man and Mecha-Whale readied their blasters, and Proto Man withdrew his shield. It was time to get down to business to defeat their Hun-like foes!

**Whale'st Thou Sink or Swim?**

They'd reached the conclusion that there was only one way attack them.

They contemplated shooting from land, but the boats were at too great a distance for either Proto Man or Mecha-Whale to catapult attacks at them from land. They contemplated going directly for Ayu, but the thousands of ships in front and behind the mother ship surely would not allow them to sail smoothly to it this time. That left only one choice: to take out as many ships as they could, in hopes of creating an opening to the mother ship.

This idea really wasn't any better than Mecha-Whale's negotiation plan.

"Okay, so you'll carry me out there and throw me up on a ship. I'll take control of that boat, and you just fire at will and take down as many boats as you can."

Mecha-Whale agreed on the strategy.

Proto Man threw the yellow scarf over his shoulder in preparation, "Grab me then."

The whale reached out, then stopped to think for a moment. He scratched his head with his mechanical arm, and a wide smile stretched across his face. Proto Man raised an eyebrow as Mecha-Whale turned around and knelt. The blue whale looked over his shoulder, shooting an excited glance at Proto Man.

"You want me to ride you now," Proto Man laughed and threw his arms in the air. "Whatever turns ya on, Mech."

_**.**_

The pirates had finished their provisions, and were ready to begin the attack. With people stationed at the canons and the harpoon launchers, they waited for the directions of the lookouts in the crow's nests. The lookouts frantically searched both the island and the waters around it carefully, but seemed to have lost the location of both Mecha-Whale and Proto Man.

"See anything?" one crew member, on a ship on the front line, shouted to above.

"No, there's nothing. Maybe they ran aw-"

An sudden explosion from the side of the boat interrupted him. The impact rocked the boat, and many of the members aboard fell over. The crew members got up to check the damage of the explosion. One more hit, and this ship was...

BOOM!

Sunk.

"There!" a lookout on a different ship pointed.

The pirates looked closely. About fifty meters away, in a ravishing sight, was Proto Man, shield in one hand and aiming his blaster carefully in the other, surfing on the back of Mecha-Whale, who swam at a dazzling speed. Proto Man balanced himself cautiously as Mecha-Whale zipped around the canon balls and harpoons that had already begun firing. Mecha-Whale's own blaster even stuck out of the water as he swam.

"Take aim and fire!" a pirate member shouted.

Harpoons and canon balls flew everywhere. Mecha-Whale evaded them by diving or with pure quickness, and Proto Man reflected some with his Proto Shield. Proto man even got lucky a couple of times by sending the canon balls back into the opposing ships. And any chance Proto man got, he launched an attack of his own.

"And in this fight, I don't just have to shoot out liquid!" Proto Man smiled as his Proto Blaster unloaded a charged ball of fire. It hit the deck of one ship as pieces of wood and metal flew about.

As another canon ball headed straight for Proto Man, Mecha-Whale turned and dove in the water once again. Proto Man grabbed part of the mecha suit as they went under. Still whooshing between harpoons and canon balls, torpedoes had begun assaulting them from underneath. Both Proto Man and Mecha-Whale were able to stop these underwater projectiles using attacks from their own blasters. When they surfaced, Proto Man began his Proto Strike, rapid firing energy blasts at will.

Several ships were up in smoke, some sunk, as Mecha-Whale and Proto Man continued their effective dodging and attacking balance. But with the absolute fury of strikes that the pirates were launching, they could not be able to keep this up for much longer.

"You think you can get close enough to a ship so that I can jump onto one?" Proto Man yelled.

The whale nodded as he whooshed from side to side to avoid more harpoons. As soon as he got within a few meters, Mecha-Whale did a quick dive, then jumped in the air right next to the edge of the ship. Just as Mecha-Whale hit the peak of his jump, Proto Man leaped off.

Immediately upon landing on deck, several pirates, harpoons in hand, attacked Proto Man. His Proto Blaster still in Proto Strike formation, Proto Man bombarded them with balls of sparks. He hit most of the assaulting pirates with this attack, but several others still ran at him. Using sophisticated footwork and great athleticism, Proto Man was able to dodge all the swings, and his shield deflected all the thrown harpoons. Eventually, kicks and punches overcame all the crew members initially on deck. This was easy. Now he simply needed to get hold of the gears...

Still, he was confident that the ship was just about his.

Meanwhile, Mecha-Whale proved to be quite the scapegoat, distracting many of the other pirates away from Proto Man simply by swimming around. The pirates grew frustrated by the whale's incredible speed, which made him a difficult target to hit despite his fat size – they'd not yet landed a single strike on him! On offense, Mecha-Whale's blaster was used to shoot down incoming canon balls, torpedoes, and harpoons, as well as to shoot down any unfortunate pirate soul that was looking over deck.

Proto Man was still on deck, fighting off more oncoming pirates. Just when he thought he'd gotten the last of them, the boat shook violently, knocking him or any other crew members over. He could feel everything around him slowly going down; the ship had already began lowering into the ocean. Proto Man searched for a source of the shot that was sinking his ship, and it wasn't until he saw the mother ship in the far back that he figured it out. Even from so far away, he could feel Ayu's scorching eyes fall upon him. Word had gotten to their captain that Proto Man was attempting to take one of their ships. This was his way of assuring him that that would not happen.

Knowing the plot had been tarnished, Proto Man gave the distress signal, whistling as loud as he could. Though in the middle of harpoon-dodging, Mecha-Whale could hear him perfectly and went to Proto Man's aid as fast as he could. Once he saw Mecha-Whale swimming next to the ship, Proto Man leaped onto his back, once again beginning the cycle of dodge and attack. He wanted to board another ship to try again, but he would likely just sink that one also, once informed of his location. And since he had so many boats at his disposal, losing a few on the front line was no major loss.

Truthfully, the entire battle had been an utter mess from the get go. Ayu attacking his own ships just made it even moreso.

They had continued zoomed around, shooting down more ships, but Mecha-Whale's suit once again started spitting out steam. Proto Man could feel it in Mecha-Whale's shaking suit and in the eyes of the whale: Mecha-Whale needed to return to a safe haven to briefly rest, or him or his suit may suddenly hibernate in the middle of the ocean.

Mecha-Whale and Proto Man nodded at one another, and quickly turned around to return to the island. The pirates saw their retreat, and increased their attacks. More harpoons! More torpedoes! More canons! Anything they could fire at them, they fired.

And finally the blind squirrel had found a nut. One of the harpoons had scathed Proto Man's left shoulder. He flinched in pain as his Proto Shield flew from his hand. Needing to escape immediately, they had no time to go back and get it. His shield was gone for good.

Proto Man and Mecha-Whale swam on, as quickly as they could escape. Really, their strategy had been surprisingly effective. They took out many ships, and many pirates with them, and they'd slowed the pirate's arrival on the island. Had the fleet been smaller, victory may have been possible.

But when dealing with _thousands_ of ships instead of dozens or hundreds, there was a harsh truth they failed to acknowledge: they were screwed. Proto Man had not anticipated the number of ships Ayu would have, though he should have – these pirates were _known_ for their overpopulated numbers.

They finally arrived on land several minutes later. Mecha-Whale became the literal definition of beached whale as he slid onto shore. Proto Man leaped off his back and laid on his back in the itchy sand. Covered in salt water, smoke, and scratches, he could feel his life energy level plummeting. _Not now_, he pleaded.

Steam still shooting from the mecha suit, Mecha-Whale began pushing himself up. His condition was hardly better than Proto Man's, the mecha suit filled with scratches and dents. In due time, the suit would recover itself, but time was not on their side.

Slowly, Proto Man leaned up. It wouldn't be long before the pirates realized they had come back to the island. "We need to get out of sight, Mech. They can still get us here."

Too late. The pirates had already spotted them, and soon flocks of harpoons and canon balls rained onto the beach.

"Let's go!" Proto Man and Mecha-Whale both jumped up. Harpoons whizzing by them left and right, some even occasionally brushing against their sides, the two dashed from the beach, making for the forest where the trees would hide them temporarily.

At the corner of his eye, Proto Man watched Mecha-Whale stumble: a harpoon had hit the mecha suit's right arm, taking it off cleanly. Angry, Proto Man ran back and lifted the whale up before he could fall. Just like his shield, there was no time to go back for for the arm.

Eventually reaching a safe spot, Proto Man helped Mecha-Whale slowly lower to the ground. Exhausted and having several small wounds from where harpoons cut him, and having lost the arm to his mecha suit, the whale was hurting. Proto Man himself still felt terribly worn down, but his main concern was for the whale – not only would he most likely be taken out of battle from the loss of an essential part of his suit, but the way the whale grimaced in pain just filled Proto Man with even more distaste for the eccentric pirates.

"YOU CALL YOURSELVES GLORIOUS?" Proto Man screamed to the sky, a curse directed at the pirates.

That's when it happened. Proto Man knelt to the ground, his eyes widening. Something inside of Proto Man had broken, as if he'd been put into self-destruct mode. Loud ringing in his ears, his eyesight fuzzy, his whole body heavy and hard to carry around like a giant chain ball. He held his heart, his energy reactor. It began working twice as hard as it normally had to just to keep Proto Man up and semi-functioning. So quickly was everything fading now; in but an instant, his whole system was beginning to fail.

This was his alarm clock going off. A wake up call; time was up.

**Die for our Ship**

Proto Man rose to his feet slowly.

"Well I guess that's it then," he said to himself. "A short dream... but it was worth it."

Still throbbing on the ground, Mecha-Whale looked up at the intense Proto Man.

"I know your arm will reattach and heal if you can obtain it, but I doubt these guys are going to let you get it back."

Mecha-Whale just watched him as Proto Man stared off in the direction of the enemy. The smokey wind had picked up, and it presented, for the first time in hours, a brief calmness. Proto Man stood harmoniously, the air blowing off the little droplets of water on his suit and his yellow scarf flowing elegantly with the hopeful winds.

"You probably want these guys off your case, don't you?" he didn't even make eye contact. "You don't need this senseless violence, right?"

Mecha-Whale's eyes filled with concern, knowing the unavoidable was coming coming: Proto Man's core was about to run out of energy. They didn't even get a whole day, a disappointment that loomed over both of them as they remained motionless.

But still Proto Man smiled, because even though it'd lasted no longer than a day, he had dreamed big, and had received big in return. He'd met and fought the greatest beast of all, in a far away place that people could only imagine. And now he would have the opportunity for one fantastic final shot, the chance for one last stand, and most importantly, the ability to go down whole.

"Let me tell you something: I..." Proto Man could not finish his expression of gratitude. "Never mind. I don't have time for this, but at least I can use whatever I've got left..."

Mecha-Whale's eyes lowered as the robot master was about to take his death march, still griping over the fact that their meeting had been all too brief. Stupid robot. Crazy robot. He had come too late.

Proto Man tried to lighten the mood. "At least I'm going out with a splash, right?" Mecha-Whale lightly kicked him in the foot and two laughed at the overused pun. "Sorry. I had to."

The shot of a canon echoed on the shores. The pirates were getting closer.

"That's my cue. I've gotta get going now if I'm going to stop them."

Though filled with fear and saddened by the cruelty of fate, Mecha-Whale gave Proto Man a serious nod of encouragement, like a friendly rival. Proto Man smiled.

"Don't worry about me. I know my body better than anybody else," Proto Man turned and faced him for the last time. "And remember: I'm unbeatable. No matter what."

Mecha-Whale watched intently as Proto Man left the shadows of the trees, and entered the spotty rays of sun on the beach.

_**.**_

The pirates continued sailing ahead towards Donte Island, ready for when Proto Man and Mecha-Whale reappeared on the beach. It had pleased Ayu to see them retreat so early. With their numbers and power, the chances of two puny beings defeating them, regardless of what supernatural powers these two possessed, were one in a million. What a fool that robot was, to think he could take away their pride!

"Captain!" one of the crew members approached him and handed him a telescope. Ayu peered through it, and could see Proto Man on the beach alone, slowly stumbling towards the tide.

"Look! It's the mechanical water guppy!" Ayu mocked him, certain Proto Man had come to show he had given up. "Hold your fire! Watch as he waves that scarf in surrender!"

Proto Man stopped and stood at the edge of the beach, as the salt waters brushed upon his feet. He stared down for a moment, reflecting everything this day, this dream, had brought him.

_I got to spar and swim with a whale in a mechanical suit. And who can say they've done that? _His own voice rang with cockiness.

The wind howling and the salt water smell still fresh, he relaxed as he looked up towards the fleet of pirate ships that approached him in the distance: still hundreds of black ships, looking like vicious storm clouds that could wipe out the island in a single sweep. Proto Man continued to stand tranquilly, as the enemies waited for his response.

_At least the dream'll still live on._

His eyes became fixed on the pirates. As hard as he could, he concentrated, channeling all his remaining energy towards center. Nearly uncontrollably, he began to shake. This was a good sign; the ultimate adrenaline rush had started to build.

"What is he doing?" Ayu wondered as he just watched Proto Man tremble.

Proto Man's body shook even more as energy continued to build. The blaster on his hand had started to blink a blinding yellow light, blinking faster as the charge grew stronger. Everything he had left was being transferred to the charger, into this one final blast.

The Big Bang Strike!

Proto Man could feel his energy reaching its max as sparks flew from his body.

The time was now. He stepped forward and began to run. Within only a few steps, he had accelerated to his top speed, a blinding one at that. Make no mistake; he wasn't running like a Baywatch pretty boy through the beach's waters. No, he was running _on top of _the water, moving as smooth as a boat on the water's surface. He continued running towards the deep end where he would be closer to the pirate ships, all while still running _atop_ the water.

"Fire! Don't let him get any closer!"

Harpoons and canons fired everywhere, but the pirates were basically firing at will; he moved at such a fast pace that they could not target him, at a pace in which nothing they shot at him could hit.

He took one last long stride and lifted himself into the air with a huge jump.

"Did he just jump off...?"

He aimed his blaster carefully, in the middle of the fleet, so that he could encompass everything. Sparks flew everywhere. His blaster blinked at lightning pace. It was now that his energy had peaked; he was on the climax of it all.

And in a single blast, Proto Man unleashed everything: one devastatingly powerful beam of energy. It was nothing like any one had seen! So bright, and it stretched on for miles! Its power was so destructive that anything that touched this beam instantly met its demise!

Mecha-Whale's eyes widened at the sight of the huge stream of light that burst from Proto Man's blaster. What a stream of powerfully bright light, of golden awesome light! To think such a little robot was capable of such power, especially on the last strings of his life!

And as the flash grew brighter and the bang stronger, everything faded to white, with the cliche screaming of "No!" being heard as the enemy plans were foiled.

**Blue and Yellow**

The sun had set, and now a clear light blue sky hovered above. The light splashing of the waves and brisk temperature symbolized that, after all the madness of the day, calmness had returned to Donte Island and its waters. Proto Man's dignified golden energy had brought the beautiful silence back, but he had disappeared into his own light.

Mecha-Whale walked along the beach, his arm reattached. Though at peace, he was once again alone and waiting on his home island. He had never been bothered by the thought of being by himself – his child-like nature often allowed him to find ways to amuse himself – and even now he was not drowning in depression. But Proto Man had brought something different to the island, to Mecha-Whale. And now Mecha-Whale was waiting for that spark to return. But waiting for what exactly? What was the spark? Another humanoid robot? A human that lacked hostility for animals? A whale like himself? He truly was not sure anymore.

As he walked along in confusion, Mecha-Whale looked up to the moon. In a pleasant surprise, his eyes caught not the full white moon, but of something else in the sky, something that was slowly drifting down towards him. As it fell closer, Mecha-Whale could see that it was a light cloth, and it danced in the ocean wind. When it was within reach, the whale grabbed it from the air and examined it closely.

It was that yellow scarf...

Mecha-Whale was not sure how this had survived, but he appreciated it. He could easily recall how fond Proto Man was of it, as he remembered him wearing it courageously and with pride. He could picture how the scarf seemed to flow smoothly in the air in the calmest or harshest of winds. It was probably Proto Man's most distinct feature, as its color shown brightly and it moved in a suave motion whenever he would head out on some quest...

An epiphany!

Mecha-Whale had always thought of it, but never had he actually explored the rest of the waters around him. Thinking back on it, it was not exactly clear to him why he hadn't – he had always desired to know what the other beautiful parts of the world were like, but something seemed to hold him back. Perhaps a lack of confidence, or a lack of certainty, or a tie to this place he's always called him.

But he could no longer wait; he now had to be the seeker. Really, there was no better time for adventure!

Mecha-Whale was about to dive playfully into the waters to swim off right away, but he realized that he was still holding that scarf. What to do with it? It actually matched the his skin tone quite well, creating a serene duo of colors. More importantly, it was probably the only memento of Proto Man he would ever have.

Blue and yellow was a perfect color combination, but he would divide that perfection in half.

He found the shaft of a harpoon, and used it to turn the scarf into a shining yellow flag. He pushed the wood deeply into the sands of the beach, and the flag stood firmly on the land of this abandoned island. Perhaps if someone else happened to see it, they, too, would be mesmerized by its golden power, by Proto Man's golden power, to venture forth and seek a dream, just as he had.

It was true: even now, Proto Man had remained unbeaten.

And as the whale swam off, doing jumps out of the water, he could still see that yellow scarf, confidently blowing in the hopeful winds of a dream.


End file.
